Green Sea (Beach Improvement) Phase 2 - South & South West Wales

Descriptions

Green Sea (Beach Improvement) forms a part of the Coastal Tourism project, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the West Wales and the Valleys Convergence programme 2007-13. Green Sea delivery in South and South West Wales is being managed by Pembrokeshire County Council on behalf of Visit Wales. Conwy County Borough Council is carrying out a similar role in North Wales, also on behalf of Visit Wales.The objective of Green Sea (Beach Improvement) is to ensure the quality of beaches around the coast of the Convergence area of Wales is maintained and improved in order to meet growing visitor expectations.Green Sea will make a contribution to successful applications towards investment in improvements to the coastal environment such as access, parking, facilities, recycling, toilets, amenities, information and interpretation. Further information about types of projects that would be welcome is available under notice resources.ERDF funding through Green Sea will be available at a maximum intervention rate of 42.22% towards eligible project costs. Project expenditure should be at a minimum of £10,000 and a maximum of £200,000Up to £397,208 ERDF will be available to support projects across both the South & South West and the North & North West regions. When combined the minimum total eligible expenditure of successful projects must be at least £940,805.Most costs are expected to be capital in nature though some revenue expenditure may be included if appropriately justified (up to a maximum of 10% of the total costs). Welsh Rules on the Eligibility of Expenditure will apply: http://wefo.wales.gov.uk/developing/guidance/welshnationalrules/?lang=enSites that have benefited from European funding in the past can be included so long as the Green Sea proposal adds value to the previously funded project and is not a top up or continuation funding.The capital investment will create a tourism infrastructure that will add value beyond the life of the project and help ensure repeat visitors. Green Sea will only invest in beaches that are potential or existing Blue Flag award beaches, or potential or existing Green Coast award beaches with the aim of securing the appropriate award. All beaches that are awarded funding will be subject to monitoring and evaluation to assess the economic and environmental impact of the investment using the Environment for Growth methodology. More information is available at www.e4g.org.ukAll interested parties will need to be registered as legal entities in order to contract with Pembrokeshire County Council.Green Sea will only invest in beaches that are potential or existing Blue Flag Award Beaches, or potential or existing Green Coast Award Beaches with the aim of securing the appropriate award. There will be a requirement that non EC bathing waters will need to undertake sampling during the 3 years of the Green Sea programme to enable them to seek Green Coast Awards. Any associated costs should be borne by the tendering organisation. It would be prudent for tenderers to ensure that there are not any underlying issues or points that need to be addressed, particularly in relation to protected sites (e.g. SSSI/SAC/SPA/SMP/NNR/LNR/MNR/MCZ) and/or protected species by contacting relevant organisations and/or reviewing documentation and plans. Tenderers should ensure that they have undertaken any necessary consultation with statutory agencies (e.g. EA/CCW) relating to the proposal by the time the tender is submitted and are able to evidence such consultation.Any suppliers proposing to tender in respect of beaches that have not had a recent beach award, must note that such beaches will need to be inspected by Keep Wales Tidy (KWT) so they may advise on the scope of works necessary to achieve award status prior to the submission of the tender. Suppliers are advised that Keep Wales Tidy will charge for all inspections carried out and that these costs are not reclaimable either in whole or part from any subsequent award from the Green Sea initiative, nor from Pembrokeshire County Council, Conwy County Borough Council, Visit Wales or Keep Wales Tidy. Suppliers wishing to arrange an inspection should contact Leanne Mahoney, Keep Wales Tidy, 33-35 Cathedral Road, Cardiff, CF11 9HB. E-mail Leanne.Mahoney@keepwalestidy.org.This requirement was previously advertised. Tenderers who are yet to arrange KWT assessment should note that in the event that KWT are unable to carry an assessment before the closing date for tenders no responsibility or liability will be accepted by Pembrokeshire County Council, Conwy County Borough Council, Keep Wales Tidy or Visit Wales.Any Local Authority suppliers wishing to include as a part of their tender access improvements to Rights of Way (“loops and links”) and intending to use funding granted by the Welsh Government’s Department for Environment and Sustainable Development via the Countryside Council for Wales towards the cost of these works should note the following. Each such local authority will be required to provide evidence with their tender that they have consulted CCW and/or the Welsh Government’s Department for Environment and Sustainable Development on the proposed works and that they have received approval from the funding bodies that the proposed projects meet their requirements for the use of these funds.Any tenderers who are considering using the Tourism Investment Support Scheme (TISS) as part of their match funding package should be aware that there is no guarantee that their projects will be eligible for funding and that there are no specific monies ring fenced within the TISS scheme for Green Sea type projects. Additionally TISS will prioritise those applicants that can spend in the current financial year (2011/12). TISS is a discretionary grant scheme, aimed at Welsh private sector tourism businesses carrying out a capital project, but with the facility also to consider discrete public sector led projects aligned to the Destination Management approach. In instances where TISS grants would constitute State Aid, it operates under the European Commission’s General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). The objective of the TISS Destination Management scheme is to enhance the visitor experience through what may be individually small but collectively significant improvements to visitor amenities and the local environment in support of destination management plans. Support of between £5,000 and £75,000 may be available under the Destination Management scheme within TISS. The amount of support that may be offered will always be the minimum amount necessary to ensure the project is completed to the planned quality, scale or timescale. In practice, support is likely to be no more than 40% of eligible costs (subject to GBER). If a project is proposed on the basis of a ‘no aid’ approach, it will be the responsibility of the enquirer (and applicant) to evidence that case, which will be subject to review by the TISS team.